Another Hope
by BookendVandal
Summary: A reimagined look at the original trilogy, with one major change. It was Leia, not Luke, raised on the desert planet Tatooine. Mostly canon through Rogue One (with a few survivors).
1. Chapter 1

Cassian Andor's eyes shot open, his mind instantly alert as he regained consciousness, as it always had the last few years. There was no time to for grogginess, to slowly enter the world around him. There was too much death for that. His eyes peered down, looking at his legs, a panic setting in as he realized he was unable to move them. Letting out a terrified scream, he tried to take in his surroundings. It appeared to be some kind of medical bay. It was sterile and cold, but worst of all was that Cassian had no idea how he had gotten here, or who had taken him.

"Cassian," a feminine voice said, the voice strong but soothing. An orange woman, a Togrutan, he recognized, with large white and blue head tails, entered the room, followed by another woman. A human. Jyn.

"You're okay, Cassian," Jyn assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder, though he was unable to tell whether she was lying more to him or to herself.

"I can't move my legs," he answered back, looking at both women.

"We're working on that," the Togrutan told him, "Our medical personnel is, well, limited, but you should regain use of them. Eventually." Somehow, that was not very reassuring. "I'm Ahsoka Tano."

"How is this possible? I-" he paused, before motioning his hand to Jyn, "We should both be dead."

"When the Death Star fired upon Scariff they lowered the shield generator. I was given instructions by Mon Mothma to retrieve any of the rebels who had joined the illegal mission aboard Rogue One."

"Where are the others?" Cassian asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer to that question. As Ahsoka looked down to the ground, she confirmed that suspicion.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save your friends."

"They weren't my friends," Cassian spouted back quickly, a little too quickly. "And they understood the risk we were taking." The room was silent for a moment. Jyn felt the urge to admonish Cassian for dismissing the lives of Bodhi, Baze and Chirrut, but held her tongue. She knew that their loss hurt Cassian as badly as it did her, even if he refused to acknowledge that now. "Were we successful at least? Did the plans transmit?"

Ahsoka nodded her head, smiling softly. "Yes, you were. Admiral Raddus received your transmission." It was true, but Ahsoka avoided telling Cassian any more. If he knew that the plans had been aboard a captured Rebel ship, it might set back his recovery. And the rebels had other plans for him.

Cassian smiled and Jyn placed an unusually gentle kiss on forehead, "You should rest, Cassian."

The medical bay doors slid open as Ahsoka and Jyn exited, allowing the medical droid to tend to Cassian. The women walked together toward a small window, looking out at the intimidating city scape, the impossibly tall buildings that were once home to Ahsoka. In the distance, the imperial Palace glowed magnificently in the night, a statue of Emperor Palpatine peering menacingly in their direction.

"Do you think they know we're here?" Jyn asked.

"No," Ahsoka replied, confidently. "If they did, we'd already be dead."

The planet, Coruscant, once the most brilliant, shining jewel of the Galactic Republic had gone dark. It would be their job to light it up.

* * *

Mon Mothma stood with her long-time friend and ally, Bail Organa on a jet bridge, not far from where Ahsoka, Jyn and Cassian resided. The time had finally come. There could be no more delay. It was time for her to lead the fight, to rebel against an impossible enemy, even if it cost her everything.

"I wish I could go with you," Bail offered wryly.

"We both know that's not possible. Not now, especially if it's true that Luke's ship was boarded by Darth Vader." It was a more crippling blow than anyone in the Empire could possibly have realized. Bail had entrusted his adopted son aboard the Tantive IV with the Death Star plans. He was confident Luke would have been able to get them off the ship prior to the Empire boarding, but that still left his beloved son in the hands of the Empire, likely aboard the battle station they were seeking to destroy. "Besides, we need at least one incorruptible soul on Coruscant."

"I'm not sure there will be a Senate much longer," Bail answered grimly. Ever since Palpatine had declared himself Emperor, the powers of the senate had slowly been eroded, piece by piece, until all that was really left was nothing more than a bureaucratic headache. "But you're far more suited to this than me."

"I can only hope to be up to it," she replied, quite seriously. "I hope the next time I see you it's in better times." With that, Mon Mothma turned to board her ship. Standing next to Captain Syndulla, she gripped the wall before nodding her head. As they rose off the ground, heading toward outer space, the woman turned on her holographic projector. Her image would be broadcast across a number of outlets on Coruscant, but most notably, the Senate floor.

"When you're ready," Captain Syndulla told her.

"This is Senator Mon Mothma," she began, her voice strident, sturdy and unwavering. "The Emperor himself has insinuated that I am a traitor to the Empire, that I am disloyal to the government in which I call myself a senator. Tonight, I tell you that he is correct. My loyalty lies not with a corrupted senate, or with a heartless Galactic Empire. That is not who I am, and I know it is not who you are either. I tell you that I am resigning from the Senate to stand for the Republic we once were.

Long has the Emperor feared a growing uprising, that the disconnected band of rebel cells could one day stand as a threat against him. That time is now! To all those fighting for the values we once held, it is time for us to stand together and to be the rebel alliance the Emperor fears. Join me!"

The hologram ended, and Mothma inhaled deeply, nearly collapsing into her seat. "That was very brave of you, Senator." Captain Syndulla offered, quickly making the jump to hyperspeed.

* * *

Having entrusted the Death Star plans to the trustworthy droid, R2-D2, Luke Organa was prepared for the Empire's worst. They could torture him, threaten him, do whatever they wanted to him. He knew his resolve was durable enough to withstand any of it. His father had instructed him to give away nothing, no matter the cost and Luke was prepared to do just that.

Still, for all that bravery, when the stormtroopers marched him in front of the ominous black figure, Luke was not quite prepared. He looked half-man, half-robot. There were rumors that he was trained in the Force, but Luke had always assumed that was propaganda until he stood before him. Now he believed it. The air around him seemed cold, nearly causing Luke to lose his stride.

"You look surprised, Senator," a booming voice taunted him. Still, Luke was well-versed enough not to allow himself to be overtaken by even the presence of the dark lord.

"Only that you think you'll find anything of value aboard this ship, Lord Vader. We're simply on a diplomatic mission to-"

"Do not bore me with your deceit, boy. Sensitive Imperial information was beamed by rebel spies to this ship. In the wrong hands, they could cause a great deal of disorder." That voice again. It could not possibly have been fully human. "If you will not tell me freely what you've done with the information, the Empire has more effective methods of extracting the truth. Take him to the ship," the dark lord, Darth Vader commanded the stormtroopers as they marched the Senator from Alderaan to the Imperial command ship. Beneath his mask, Vader's eyes followed the boy, feeling something, a curious disturbance in the Force that he was not quite able to place.

"Sir, according to the ships logs, an escape pod was jettisoned from the ship just after our boarding commenced," a command trooper informed him. "Based on our preliminary projections, it appears headed toward the outer-rim system of Tatooine." There was little the caught the dark lord by surprise now, but the name of the system caused him to pause. "Should we send a fleet to investigate?"

Vader paused for a moment. He had done a great deal of work to burn out the memories of his old life, to forget that Anakin Skywalker, the weak creature that he was, had ever existed, but Tatooine, those memories were the most difficult ones to erase. It was the place where he had first tapped into a true darkness as he slaughtered an entire village of Sand People in an act of revenge, and the first place Anakin Skywalker had met the woman who he would eventually marry.

"Yes, and prepare my ship. I will join them."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all for reading! Your reviews and feedback are so very appreciated, so please let me know what you think so far!_

A dark feeling passed over Darth Vader as his TIE fighter entered the Tatooine atmosphere. His Master would not approve of the dark lord taking it upon himself to revisit the home world of Anakin Skywalker. They had spent considerable time and effort into extinguishing any remnant of the Jedi Knight from Vader's memory, and Tatooine poised a threat of regression. Vader knew this and went on with his plan anyway, though he quickly questioned that decision as they landed.

The Force was strong on this planet.

It was not so unusual that a Force-sensitive inhabited a world. The Empire had a list of individuals it knew to have a proclivity to wield the Force, and deemed those remaining to be insignificant threats to them. This was different though, more powerful and somehow refined. He instinctively reached to his side, considering pulling his lightsaber out right at that moment, but even for him, there was something to be said for maintaining a low profile. Fear, of course, had its benefits, and he would use it once he had honed in on the Death Star plans, but for now, he would rather stay as much under the radar as he could. Pulling a black cloak over his head, the closest he could get to a disguise given his suit and assisted breathing, Vader stepped off his ship and onto the Tatooine sand.

Mos Eisley Spaceport was his first stop. If it was true that the Death Star plans had been taken by droids aboard the Tantive IV, the congregation of bounty hunters and smugglers was as good a place to start as any. Maneuvering his way through the city, he caught a few second glances from those who passed by him. Some of them may have even recognized him as Darth Vader, as his appearance had been used in recent Imperial Propaganda to emphasize the unwavering supremacy of the Emperor's command, but none dared to venture more than a quick double-take.

In fact, it was Vader who would find himself caught off-guard by the unexpected appearance of a masked menace. No more than ten feet away from him was a man adorned in green Mandalorian armor, with a honeycomb plate pattern and fearsome T-shaped visor. He recognized that armor from another life, from Anakin Skywalker's fight for survival on Geonosis, and its presence before him now was unsettling.

He should not have come here, Vader realized. The familiar heat of Tatooine's twin suns brought down a wave of recollection that he did not want, that he could not afford.

To his surprise, the masked figure spoke to him. "This is no place for you," the bounty hunter, known across the galaxy as Boba Fett remarked to Vader. The Sith Lord should have choked him there, in the middle of Mos Eisley, but he did not. The streets around them were crowded, as the two stared at each other, eyes hidden beneath their respective masks. Vader clutched his fists, prepared to unsheathe his lightsaber in a heartbeat, though Boba Fett knew better than to engage with the Sith Lord. He had heard the stories, and while he was sure that the Empire embellished the tales of horror, the bounty for Darth Vader's head put out by the Rebel Alliance was not worth the certain death of a physical encounter. "They say you killed Jedi Master Mace Windu."

Even under his mask, Vader did not react at all to this statement. "It's possible. I have slaughtered countless Jedi," was all he replied, neither a confirmation nor a denial.

Boba smiled underneath his helmet, nodding his head slightly.

"Then I have a gift for you, m'lord."

* * *

If any politician embodied the decline of the Senate, it was none other than the loathsome Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. The blue-skinned Chagrian had served in his equivalent position as Vice-Chair since Chancellor Finis Valorum, with little to show for it other than significant growth in personal wealth. The Emperor afforded him little real power, but since he controlled what was debated on the Senate floor, the wealthier systems were always eager to stay on his good side.

Bail Organa had enlisted the aid of Pooja Naberrie, the current senator of Naboo and sister of the late Padm _é_ Amidala, and Quarsh Panaka, the regional governor of the Naboo system. Despite Panaka's position within the Imperial Administration, Bail considered him to be as decent of a man as could be found within the government, and Alderaan and Naboo had long enjoyed a close alliance. He hoped that the presence of the two most prominent political figures from the Emperor's native system might carry some clout with Mas.

"I'm sorry, Viceroy Organa, but I simply cannot grant you an audience with the Emperor, particularly not to discuss your son, who faces such serious allegations," Mas Amedda spoke with a feigned sincerity, well-practiced after some three decades within the Senate. "I'm sure you can appreciate that even your allegiance to the Galactic Empire is in question after your friend Mon Mothma declared herself an enemy of the people."

Bail did not blink in the face of the accusation. Mon Mothma had set about her own path, and he was left with his. Fortunately, he had as much experience with maintaining a political poker face as the Grand Vizier. Pooja, however, was not quite so practiced. "An enemy of the people? She's advocating a political alternative-"

"She's sponsoring galactic terrorism," Quarsh Panaka cut her off. "The Senator had every opportunity to voice her concerns peacefully within the confines of the senate. She chose a different path." Quarsh did not always see things in such plain black and white. Certainly within his role in the Empire, he had seen questionable things, but always managed to look the other way, to find a way to rationalize that it was for the greater good.

"It is good to hear you think so," Mas said, clasping his hands together. "There is one matter regarding the traitor I did hope to discuss with you all. You see, the Emperor is concerned that there may be a delusion forming, particularly among the middle and outer rim systems, that there is support for a so-called Rebel Alliance within the Senate walls. Can you imagine? Traitors, propping up a government they secretly hate, living amongst us." The Grand Vizier showed his yellow teeth as he snarled the last few words, disdain dripping from his voice. "I will be introducing the Galactic Defense Act. This will grant our heroic stormtroopers the authority to eliminate any known rebel collaborators. The senate tribunals we normally would grant someone of Mothma's stature would allow to present herself as a martyr. We cannot have that."

Pooja frowned. She was a pacifist by nature, and granting blanket license to kill was not something she could support. "And you need our votes?" she asked, genuinely surprised that Amedda felt the need to bring it up. There were normally plenty of senators actively courting for his approval that he had no trouble passing legislation.

"Oh, we have enough to pass it," Amedda assured her, "By some margin, I would add. However, both the Emperor and I feel it would be a powerful signal if, for once, the entire senate could come together and vote unanimously. In trying times such as these, unity is so essential."

"I quite agree," Bail replied quickly, not allowing Pooja to voice an objection. "I'll instruct my son's proxy to support the bill, and I'll voice my personal support to my allies in the senate." It was a hopeless situation, Bail knew, but Stormtroopers had never hesitated to shoot to kill when it came to enemies of the Empire. This legislation was ceremonial only, and detractors risked exposing themselves as rebel supporters.

"Oh that's excellent news. Now if you don't mind, I have a meeting with the Banking Federation. It appear that mining accident on Jedha cost them a rather large fortune and they seem to think foul play was involved." Bail nodded his head, rising from his chair. In truth, he had low expectations of the meeting, knowing that Mas Amedda was unlikely to do anything, but he had to at least act on behalf of his son. The moment he appeared to accept that Luke would be treated as a traitor was the day his son would perish.

There would have to be another way.

* * *

While Cassian Andor knew he should be grateful to be alive, he could not help but be filled with a great irritation at his current predicament. While the medical droids were certainly doing their best, his legs were still not functioning, and he was still largely a prisoner of his bed, trapped by his body into a life that tortured him.

Jyn Erso watched him from behind a window. Despite their differences, she had grown to care for Cassian, more than she cared to admit, and seeing him in such misery was difficult in a way she did not expect. She was aggrieved too, being cooped up in a medical bay on Coruscant was not how she wanted to spend her time after retrieving the Death Star plans, but in a strange way, she felt jealous of Cassian. While successful, their mission had come at severe costs, lives lost in pursuit of the greater good, and yet she lived. She had never wanted any of this, and she knew better than to consider herself any sort of hero. She should have died, but instead Rebels far more committed to the cause had perished. At least Cassian had enduring scars to show for his sacrifice.

"You seem restless," Ahsoka said, appearing by her side as they both peered in on Cassian.

Jyn turned to look at the Togrutan. She was thankful, of course, for having been saved from the brink of death, but a lifetime had left her cynical. She did not fully trust the would-be Jedi. "I wish there were something I could do, to make him not so unhappy."

Ahsoka smiled, "That, I may be able to help with," she replied, turning to behind her and waving her arm, gesturing for someone to come forward. K-2S0 emerged from the darkness.

"What? This can't be," Jyn said, she had heard Cassian mercurial droid get blown to bits on Scariff. There was no way it could be him now.

"It's not quite, to be honest," Ahsoka admitted. "Given nature of your mission, the Rebels didn't want to take any chance that you were holding back on information they needed to know so…"

"They took a back-up of my memory after your failed attempt to rally the Rebels," K-2 clarified. He paused for a moment, looking down at Jyn. "They said I sacrificed myself for you, Jyn Erso. I find this highly unlikely."

"It really is you," she replied, wryly.

K-2 turned toward the door to Cassian's room. It made Jyn happy to see some sign of life on Cassian's face at the sight of his droid. He sat up in his bed, gripping his droids arm as the two women watched, both aware enough of the significance of the reunion not to interrupt the moment. Still, regardless of how much she appreciated the gestures from Ahsoka, her skepticism remained.

"Some day, soon, you are going to tell me why you chose to bring us to Coruscant," Jyn told Ahsoka, to which the other woman laughed dryly.

"Oh, Jyn, isn't it obvious? We're here to kill the Emperor."


	3. Chapter 3

Aboard the Death Star, Prince Luke Organa lay quietly in his cell as a prisoner of war, his body weakened from the brutal interrogation techniques that he had thus far been subjected. His eyelids hung heavily, exhausted from it all, but they were ensuring that he did not get any actual rest. Every time he came close, a droid swooped into his room to poke and prod him more. Sometimes, they did not even ask him any questions, merely tortured him to exhaust him, so that one day they might be successful. Even if he could not sleep, how badly he would love to dream right now, to see his parents in their palace on Alderaan, instead of being captive in these sterile cell walls.

Just as his brain began to slow, his cell door slid open. A woman with fiery red hair, dressed in purple Imperial robes, rather than the tired uniform of an officer, entered. A dark chill came over Luke, just as it had when he had met Vader. The door closed behind her and the woman stared at Luke, formulating, calculating her next step as if this were a game. "On your knees. Don't you know if you disrespect me, you disrespect the Emperor?" she commanded, and when Luke did not immediately comply, she grabbed him by the hair and forced him down. Luke cringed as she held on to him, "I'm not some bumbling Stormtrooper, boy. Don't you recognize a Hand of the Emperor when you see one? Or do they not teach you that a Prince Academy?" Letting go of him, she took a step back, "There, that's better. Isn't it easier when you don't resist, rebel?"

Luke looked up at the woman. He did recognize her now, as one of the many acolytes of the Emperor. When the Emperor bothered to appear before the Senate, they were very often at his side, though no one really knew what their purpose was. Luke had always assumed that they were bureaucrats of some kind, but clearly he had been mistaken. "Mara Jade," he stammered after a moment.

"Good, you do pay attention," she said, gripping a hand around the young prince's jaw line. "We met at a year ago after the Treat of Shu-Torun was signed." As far as most of the Empire was concerned, Mara was what Luke had thought of her, merely a bureaucratic ornament of the Emperor's, strolled around at large gatherings to help gain influence. Everyone had assumed she must be heir to a throne or enterprise of some type, but she had always kept enough distance that no one ever got to see too close. Crossing her legs as she sat down on the cold steel of Luke's cell, Mara motioned to Luke that he could rise from his kneeling position. "Grand Moff Tarkin is most impressed by your resolve. Not many senators can with an IT-O interrogator droid, but you've done just marvelously at keeping your rebel plans well hidden. Unfortunately, that ends now."

Luke shook his head, conjuring up all the indignation he could muster. "I told them everything I know already. If you're looking for plans about this space station, I don't know anything about that. I'm a Prince, not a rebel."

Mara cocked her head sideways, rolling her eyes. "Have you ever heard of the Force, Prince Luke?" Mara asked, removing a glove from her hand. It was unnecessary for what she was about to do, but it created a nice enough effect. Reaching her hand out, she closed her eyes, allowing the dark side of the force to flow through her. She focused her thoughts on the Prince before her, sifting through the inner-reaches his mind. "Where are they?" she hissed, her mind searching through his mind, though she found herself resisted. Mara was a powerful Force user, and had used a mind probe on even Jedi before, but this was something different, something raw.

Luke howled in discomfort as Mara continued her assault. It was as if he could feel her moving around inside his mind, cutting through with the precision of a medical droid, but with a dull blade. She pressed forward, almost frantic now, as she looked for the information, but found nothing. Either the boy truly knew nothing of the rebellion or Bail Organa had been harboring much greater secrets than anyone in the Empire suspected.

Giving up, Mara dropped her hand and Luke crumbled to the ground, whimpering and moaning. Mara Jade had failed at her mission, but discovered something else that would no doubt prove interesting to the Emperor. Without saying another word, Mara marched to the door, scanning her hand to open the door, and exited the cell.

* * *

Ezra Bridger, the young thief turned makeshift Jedi Padawan, did his best to be quiet as his master, Kanan Jarrus, spoke with Mon Mothma and the heads of other Rebel cells. The former senator, now the de facto leader of the Rebel Alliance, had the unenviable task of uniting these independent clusters, each of which saw the Empire as a problem, but also envisioned a very different future in a post-Imperial world. At heart, Mothma was a Republic purist, who longed to return to the days before Palpatine's rule. Certainly, she acknowledged there were problems even then, and they had opened the door for Palpatine to walk through, but she believed in a cohesive, democratic galactic rule. That was the only way she saw it possible to maintain an order. There were too many competing interests across the Galaxy; without some oversight, one rogue system could turn a small conflict into an intergalactic disaster.

"Viceroy Organa has reliable information that several Jedi remain, scattered throughout the galaxy. If now is not the time to reach out to them, then when possibly could be?" Mon Mothma suggested to the quorum, to Kanan's visible chagrin.

"With respect, Senator, the Jedi were never intended to be soldiers," Kanan tried to reason. He understood her position of course. The Rebel Alliance could use all the help it could get, but even aside from the concerns he had vocalized, he worried about reaching out in a meaningful way through the Force. Such communication could pick up the interest of the Emperor, giving away their locations.

"I was never intended to be a Rebel," Mothma countered, "But that is where fate has put me."

Ezra understood his master's position, but he could not help but disagree. As long as the Sith were with the Empire, the Jedi would have to be with the Rebels.

The young sergeant Kes Dameron shook his head in frustration at Kanan's reluctance. "The Jedi had no problem being soldiers during the Clone Wars, and that's what started all this," he shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "The Empire ordered an extermination of all Jedi. They picked your side for you. Not fighting back isn't an option."

Mon Mothma held up her hand, an attempt to calm the soldier, and regain control of her meeting. "We cannot force Kanan to act against what he thinks is right. If we do that, then we are no better than the Empire," she said reluctantly, disappointed. "Kanan, are you sure there's nothing you can do?"

Ezra wanted to cry out that, yes, in fact, there was something that they could do. They knew Master Yoda, at least, was alive. If they could find him, certainly he would know what the best thing to do was.

"I am sorry, there is not. I will fight for the Rebel Alliance if you'll have me, but I will not lead other Jedi here."

Ezra shook his head, disappointed in his master while Mon Mothma gave him a knowing look, as Kanan turned to exit. Once the doors had closed behind them, Kanan turned to face his apprentice. "You don't agree, do you Ezra?"

Ezra took a deep breath. He tried to respect the wishes of his Master, and Kanan was the closest thing he had to family, but he could not shake the feeling that it was a mistake not to at least try to involve the other Jedi. "I…I trust your judgment," he said reluctantly. Ezra knew Kanan's heart, and he knew that the older man was only doing what he believed to be right. Ezra, however, believed something else was right, and he would follow that through, even if it meant going against his Master's wishes.

* * *

For the last 20 years, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been living in a quiet exile on the planet of Tatooine, nestled quietly in the southwestern edge of the Dune Sea. It was painful on so many ways, to have his existence reduced to the emptiness of the outer-rim planet, where he and his old master had discovered a young force-sensitive boy named Anakin all those years ago. He wanted to be helping the growing Rebellion, to serve some greater purpose. Of course, he understood that his role ensuring Leia Skywalker remained safe under the watch of Owen and Beru Lars was of considerable importance, but the truth was, he had grown bored and restless over the years.

He was just Old Ben Kenobi now, retiring his old lightsaber in favor of a long wooden staff and having garnered a reputation for being something of an ornery old hermit. On occasion, he wandered over to the Lars' moisture farm to make sure they were not facing any problems. Owen, for his part, had made it clear that he wanted Kenobi to have nothing to do with the family, and Ben did his best to respect this.

Until now, when a dark sensation caused him to drop to his knees outside his hut. He recognized it immediately, the feeling practically choking him as he gasped for air. Ben Kenobi had stood in the presence of evil many times in his life, but there would always be something wickedly distinguishable about this particular presence that dwarfed the likes of Count Dooku or Darth Maul.

Vader.

Suddenly the decision he and Yoda had made all those years ago seemed so foolish. They had thought the one place that Anakin would never return would be Tatooine, but they had been fatally wrong, and the dark lord was now here.

Regaining his breath, Ben rose back to his feet. There was no time for him to be overwhelmed by the dark side of the force, no time for him to bemoan his bad decision. If Vader was here, then that might mean he knew that his daughter had been brought here as well. That was one father-daughter reunion that Ben absolutely could not allow to happen. He had to get to the Lars' moisture farm before Vader. Rushing into his old dwelling he grabbed his old lightsaber. He turned to leave, and paused a moment, looking at the chest where he had kept Anakin's lightsaber all these years. Hesitating just a moment, he realized that depending on what he found at the farm, he may not be back at his old home for some time, he grabbed his old apprentice's lightsaber and ran out the door.

It was not long after Kenobi's departure that a stolen landspeeder arrived in front of his hut. The dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, along with Boba Fett, exited the speeder, lightsaber and blaster in hand, respectively. Vader ignited his light saber, quickly pressing the blade into the clay door. The door quickly melted and crumbled as Vader's feet, allowing him and the bounty hunter to push their way into the hut, which they quickly discovered was empty.

"He was here," Boba Fett muttered angrily, though Vader said nothing. "We just have to wait for him to come back."

Vader knew better. He had felt Kenobi's presence all the way in Mos Eisley when he arrive on the planet, even if he had not fully recognized it then. No doubt his old master had felt it as Vader approached and had abandoned his hut. The question, then, was where he had gone. Beneath his helmet, Vader closed his eyes, after all this time, at last he would have a chance to avenge his loss to Kenobi, to erase the last vestige of his past once and for all. "You've done well, bounty hunter, but I will take it from here." Vader told, exiting the hut and returning to the speeder. "I trust you can find your own accommodations back to Mos Eisley," he said, before taking off, allowing the Force to guide him in the direction of his Obi-Wan.


End file.
